


Baggage Claim

by yeah_nah



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, a bit smutty later on, literally just fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-08-30 08:22:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8525734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeah_nah/pseuds/yeah_nah
Summary: AU. Cosima picks up the wrong bag at the airport, and gets a call from the rightful owner. Fluff ensues. Rated M for future chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I love this fandom, and I've been a long time reader of all things Cophine, so I've decided to try my hand at writing something to contribute. I have a science background, and haven't done any sort of creative writing in about 8 years, so please go easy on me! But honestly, any and all feedback is appreciated. I hope you enjoy the first installment of this story!
> 
> (I am from New Zealand, so if you see extra vowels and an 's' where you think there should be a 'z', it's because we use British spelling. Peace out.)

_“Passengers on flight 276 to New York, please proceed to the gate. That’s all passengers on flight 276 to New York, please proceed to the gate.”_

The announcements over the PA system were barely audible over the hubbub of the crowd.

Scanning with tired eyes through the throngs of people rushing to catch their flights and embracing friends and family, Cosima located the baggage carousel and headed towards it.

She could feel a familiar pressure in her head, and willed the carousel to move faster. She needed to get home and take some painkillers to ward off the headache that was imminent, before it really took hold.

 

She watched the bags go past, fiddling with a stray thread on the sleeve of her maroon cardigan. She checked her watch. 6.20 pm.

 

“ _Damn, 26 hours without sleep,”_ she thought _. “No wonder I feel kinda crappy.”_

Cosima began to get impatient now, shifting her weight nervously as the bags became fewer and further between. Most people had picked their bags up and gone by now, and the last ones were being snapped up rapidly.

 

She raised a hand to rub at her eyes behind heavy black glasses. Tiredness was really setting in, and she knew she needed to get to bed soon or she’d be liable to fall asleep where she was. After a whirlwind trip on a scientific conference hosted by the DYAD institute, full of seminars, cocktail events and plenty of greasing up to her potential employers, Cosima longed for the solitude and comfort of her own apartment.

 

“Finally!” Cosima muttered to herself as she saw her medium sized black case with the blue ribbon tied to the handle come around the corner. She grabbed it, extended the handle, and wheeled it out to the waiting rank of cabs.

 

Fighting to keep her eyes open, Cosima watched the familiar buildings and streets of San Francisco slide past the window as a few raindrops began to patter on the window, until she was finally dropped outside her apartment.

 

Fingers adorned with rings fumbled with the key as Cosima tried to get the door unlocked, fatigue rapidly engulfing her. She finally was able to swing the door open and trudge in to an apartment space that radiated a feeling of warmth and home. Books on evolutionary theory, human biology and genetics covered every surface, and clothes littered the floor and the bed from her hurried last-minute packing.

 

Cosima looked down at her suitcase, contemplating unpacking now, then shook her head; her dark dreads that had been tied back swinging slightly, as she decided it could wait. She walked straight to the bed, collapsed onto it, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

 

* * *

 

 

Cosima rolled over and opened her eyes.

 

“Ah, shit!” she exclaimed, as strong sunlight streamed through the window and imprinted itself on her retinas. She raised her hand to cover her eyes, and knocked her glasses firmly into the bridge of her nose. “Crap!”. She must have fallen asleep with them still on.  
  
Cosima adjusted her glasses, settling them more comfortably on her face, and sat up. Outside, it was broad daylight. She reached into her pocket for her phone, but it was dead. Her watch told her it was 10am.

 

 _“Man, I must have been hella tired. I slept like 15 hours.”_ It was a good thing she wasn’t due back in the lab until tomorrow, or she would be even later than normal by now.

 

She got up and moved to her desk, starting up her laptop and plugging her phone into the USB charging cable attached to it. Checking her emails, she saw nothing that needed immediate attention, just a message from Scott about using the lab space for his games night. She could get back to him later.  
  
As her phone started up again, she was startled to see 6 missed calls, all from the same unfamiliar number.

 

 _“Geez, someone really wants to get hold of me,”_ Cosima thought. She wondered who it could possibly be, and while she was staring at the number on the screen debating whether to call back, the phone rang again. It was the same number. _“Well, you’re nothing if not persistent,”_ Cosima mused as she let it ring once, twice, and then hit the answer button.

 

“Hello?” Cosimas voice came out slightly throaty, as if her vocal cords were still half asleep.

 

“H-hello?” a tentative voice came through the speaker of the phone. “Is this Cosima Niehaus?”

 

It was a womans’ voice, but what was that accent? Something European, French maybe?

 

“Sure is, how can I help you?”, Cosima replied.

 

‘Oh thank goodness!” the voice sounded very relieved. “I have tried calling so many times, and the airline was no help at all, and I’m just very glad to have found you!”

 

“Uhh…okay?” Cosima replied, not sure what to say. “What exactly is this about?”

 

“Ah, je suis désolé, I was getting ahead of myself. My name is Delphine, and I have your suitcase. I am hoping you have mine?”

 

Cosimas brow furrowed as she looked around the room until her eyes fell on the suitcase, still sitting where she had left it.

 

“Uhh, I’m pretty sure I’ve got my own case dude. I even tied a ribbon to it so it wouldn’t get mixed up.”

 

“You see, so did I.” Delphine replied. “I had a light blue ribbon tied around the handle of a black suitcase. They’re basically clones of each other, I didn’t even realise it _wasn’t_ my suitcase until I got home and opened it up. And while I admit you have great style, all of your clothes are much too small for me.” Cosima could hear the smile in Delphine’s voice.

 

“Hold on, let me check,” said Cosima. “Be right back”. Cosima dropped the phone back onto the desk, still plugged into the computer, and went over to grab the suitcase. Rolling it back to her desk, she sat back down and unzipped it.

 

“ _Holy watershed”, Cosima thought. “She thinks I’ve got style? This wardrobe is insane”._ The suitcase was full of expensive clothes, most fitting into the “dressy/casual” category, with a few items that just said “high-flying businesswoman”.

 

“You there?” Cosima asked, putting the phone back to her ear

 

“Oui, I’m here.”

 

“Delphine, I’m so sorry, I was so tired when I got off the flight, and I mean the bags do look exactly the same.” Cosima was gesturing wildly with her hands as she spoke, the phone sandwiched between her ear and her shoulder.

“I totally crashed when I got home, so I hadn’t even opened it, and my phone died so I didn’t get any of your other calls. You must have been so worried, and –“

 

“Cosima, don’t worry about it,” Delphine’s soothing tone interrupted Cosimas anxious apology. The way she said her name made Cosima’s stomach flutter. “What matters now is I’ve found you, and we can swap the bags back.”

 

“Oh, yeah of course!” Cosima affirmed. “Where are you located? I can totes bring it to you, this being my fault and all.”

 

“Pacific Heights”, came the reply. _“Yeah, definitely rich”_ thought Cosima.

 

“If it’s too much trouble I can easily come to you though, I don’t want to be any bother.”

 

“No, honestly, I want to make this right. I guess you’ve got my number, so just text me the address and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

 

“Okay Cosima, if you’re sure. Merci. I look forward to seeing you soon.”

 

“Yeah, sure, see you soon Delphine.” Cosima hung up and went to the mirror. Deciding she needed a shower before she left to wash off the travel and the long sleep, she stripped off her clothes while heading for the bathroom.

 

“ _Cosima…”._ The way Delphine said her name in that soft French accent was replaying in her head, and she was struck with a sudden need to put a face to the voice.  


Cosima was dressed and out the door in record time, eagerness to meet Delphine giving her routine more pace than usual. She checked her phone and gave the cab driver the address Delphine had sent through, feeling slightly nervous about meeting this mystery woman with the nice clothes, who lived in the affluent part of town, but had sounded so genuine and down-to-earth on the phone.

 

When the cab let her out, she looked up at the house, a two-storey, eggshell blue weatherboard with white trim, in the same style as most of the houses in this area, with peaked rooves and large bay windows. Taking a deep breath and quickly readjusting her glasses on her nose, Cosima walked up the stairs to the front door, Delphines suitcase in hand.

After hesitating for a second, the butterflies in her stomach getting more intense, she knocked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the lovely comments, I hope you continue to enjoy the fluffiness. We had a large earthquake last night (we get them a lot), so I didn't sleep much. But that means the next chapter is ready for you all! Any and all feedback is much appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> (Again, any odd spelling is because I live in Aotearoa, and we had the questionable privilege of being colonised by the British.)

The door swung opened inwards and Cosima saw a tall, blonde woman, with loose curls swept over to one side standing in the doorway. Large round hazel eyes were set above high cheekbones, and a gentle slope of a nose, with a small beauty spot nearly at the tip. Cosima’s eyes fell to her full, pink lips as they moved, forming words in her lilting French accent. Quite simply, she was beautiful.

Snapping herself out of her reverie, Cosima realised she had missed half of what the blonde woman had said.

“- must be Cosima. I’m Delphine.” A pale hand with long, delicate fingers extended towards Cosima. She shifted the suitcase to her other hand and clasped Delphine’s hand in her own. It was warm and soft, but with a firm, steady grip. Cosima got the feeling this was a woman who could hold her own in the world.

 _“Come on Cos, don’t just stare at her, say something!”_ her brain screamed, trying to remember how to form words.

“Uh…yeah….um yup, I’m Cosima,” she stammered. How was this woman she had only just met having such an effect on her? Cosima was always comfortable around people, with an innate ability to relate to just about anyone with her warmth and wit. But this was different. Suddenly, she couldn’t form thoughts, other than wondering how this beautiful stranger was actually real.

“Enchantée,” Delphine smiled warmly.

“Enchantée,” Cosima replied, feeling a smile to mirror Delphines spread across her face unbidden.

There was a beat of silence between the two women, standing there on Delphines front porch, hands still linked.

“Please, come in.” Delphine broke the silence, withdrawing her hand and stepping back and aside, to allow Cosima to pass her, stepping into the entranceway.

“Thanks,” Cosima replied. “Uh, here, I believe this is yours?” She put the suitcase down between, the weight of it making a loud _thud_ on the hardwood floor. _“Smooth Cos. Real smooth.”_

If Delphine minded though, she gave no indication. Her face lit up. “Oui! That’s it! Come on through, yours is in the lounge,” and she turned and walked down the hallway and into a sparsely decorated living room, Cosima following behind. “I hope you don’t mind, but I did go through it a little to try to find out who it belonged to,” Delphine continued.

“Right, of course, no problem. What was in it that had my phone number though? I didn’t think I had it written down anywhere.”

“Oh, it was this actually.” Delphine picked up a rather battered and familiar copy of _On The Origin Of Species_ from the couch.

She opened the front cover and Cosima saw her name and cell phone number written in her cramped handwriting in the top right hand corner of the title page. She had written it in there when Scott had asked to borrow it a couple of months ago, so if he left it lying around it might make it’s way back to her. It was one of her favourite books, given to her by her father when she first started expressing an interest in science, around 10 years old. She’d read it countless times, and now kept it with her as a reminder of home.

“I was very intrigued to meet the person who carries Darwin in their luggage,” laughed Delphine. “Are you a scientist?”

“Yeah, I am. Just finishing up my PhD actually. Evo Devo. Are you into science too?”

“Oui, I guess you could say that. I have recently been assigned to head up a new research team based here. I completed my undergraduate and medical degrees in Paris, but I’ve always had a certain interest in Immunology. I did a mixture of clinical and research work for a while, but now I am going to make more of a commitment to research.”

“Dude, that’s awesome!” Cosima marvelled. “ _Gorgeous, French, and ridiculously smart?_ ” She wanted to pinch her self to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. _“Ugh, keep it cool Cos.”_

“What’s your research on?”

“The team will be working on the B- and T-Cell/cytokine interactions in SCID. That’s Severe Combined –“

“Immune Deficiency!” Cosima finished for her. “That sounds so fascinating. I read a paper once that claimed they had found a point mutation that led to an absent thymus and bone marrow failure, and that it may account for over 70% of cases of SCID.” Cosima was finding her groove, her brain not having to work so hard to string words together in the presence of Delphine and her smile. She always found it easy to talk about science. Her hands danced through the air as she spoke, adding emphasis and meaning to her words. “I mean the results were totally preliminary, and they’ve only done very basic animal studies on it. Plus the current understanding is that there are multiple genetic influences, but it made for interesting reading.”

“Oh yes, I have read that paper also. They make some interesting points, but it is, as you say, inconclusive at this stage. You really know your stuff.” Delphine sounded impressed. “What did you say you’re studying? Evo Devo?” Delphine looked slightly puzzled as she repeated Cosima’s words from before.

“Evolutionary Development. Just finishing up my thesis, then I’ll be looking for work, hopefully in a lab.”

“That sounds wonderful,” said Delphine. She paused and bit her lip, looking slightly hesitant. “Can I get you a drink? I have tea and coffee, or water. I’d love to hear more about your thesis. If you don’t have to go anywhere, that is. I understand if you just want to go, I mean you’ve got your suitcase now, so I don’t want to pressure you…” She trailed off, looking at Cosima with hopeful eyes.

“Are you kidding? I’d love a drink,” Cosima grinned. “Do you have green tea?”. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw Delphine physically relax a little, tension releasing from her slender frame.

“Oui. One green tea, coming up. Please, make yourself at home.”

Cosima took a seat on the plush couch and thumbed through the book, pages soft with years of eager turning. She looked up and saw Delphine in the kitchen.

“I’m sorry it’s a bit empty at the moment, as I said I’ve only been here a week and a half, and then they sent me away for meetings at the Head Office this weekend, so I haven’t had much chance to get everything unpacked.”

From her distant vantage point, Cosima let herself admire the way Delphines curls bounced softly as she moved around the kitchen. Her gaze lingered over the collarbones just visible above the neckline of the loose white shirt she wore before moving down. Delphine turned and bent over, reaching into a low cupboard for something, and Cosima felt a slight blush creep across her cheeks as she couldn’t help but stare at the generous curves of her ass, in tight dark jeans, pointed straight at her. She dropped her gaze back to the book as Delphine straightened and placed the two mugs on the bench.  
Once the tea was made, Delphine carried the steaming mugs over to the couch and handed one to Cosima. They sat at opposite end of the couch, silence settling between them.

Delphine broke it first. “So, tell me about your thesis.”

 

Cosima’s tea grew cold as it sat forgotten on the coffee table, the conversation flowing freely between the two women. They were both clearly revelling in the chance to speak freely about their work and their love of science, not having to censor themselves or contend with the glazed over expression that usually greeted them when talking about their projects.

 

The sky was beginning to grow darker outside when Cosima checked her phone. “Whoa dude, how did it get so late? I’m so sorry to have taken up so much of your time.” She quickly stood up, getting ready to leave. She had totally lost herself in the conversation, in watching the other woman’s lips move as she spoke, and listening to that voice that she didn’t think she could ever hear enough of.

But she had overstayed her welcome, she was sure. Delphine was probably just too polite to say so. She had only come to pick up a suitcase for goodness sake, and ended up staying for hours!

Delphine looked a little taken aback, and pushed herself up to stand also. “No don’t be sorry. I have loved having some company. It’s nice to find someone who gets it, you know?” She placed a hand on Cosima’s upper arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah, ditto. Obvs.” Cosima replied with a small smile. Maybe she hadn’t screwed it up after all.

“Do you have far to go home? Can I drop you off?” Delphine asked as she walked Cosima, carrying her suitcase (the right one this time), to the front door.

“No, no, it’s fine, I’ll just catch a cab. Thanks though!”

“Okay Cosima.” She inhaled, as if she wanted to say something else. There was a slight hesitation evident, and Cosima wondered what she was thinking.

With a small exhale, Delphine simply smiled and said “Goodbye,” then leaned in and pecked Cosima lightly on one cheek, and then the other.

Cosima blushed fiercely at the unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome, display of affection.

 _“She’s European, that’s just what they do,”_ she told herself, as Delphine shot her one last smile over her shoulder before closing the front door. “ _Don’t read too much into it. You’ll probably never see her again anyway.”_

Her cheeks still tingling where Delphines lips had been, Cosima hopped into a cab and rode back to her apartment, reality setting in. _“Yeah, you’ll probably never see her again.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert: She'll definitely see her again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a wee bit longer than the last! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it!
> 
>  
> 
> (British spelling because the Queen technically rules over our wee island nation. Chur.)

“Morning Scott!” Cosima puffed as she barrelled through the door to the lab, eyes glancing to the clock on the wall. Only 7 minutes late. “ _Must some kind of record,”_ she thought.

Scott looked up from his workstation and grinned at her. “Hey Cos! Good to see you. How was the conference?”

“Yeah, good. You know, the usual deal,” she replied as she put on her lab coat, and flicked her long, dark dreads out from under the collar. “Just a bunch of schmoozing and boozing. I got to talk to Dr. Leekie, the dude is creepy as hell, but I hope I made a good impression. Even name-dropped you a couple of times Scotty. Told Dr. Nealon and Professor Duncan about my lab partner.” She shot him a grin as she walked over to her workstation and dropped into her chair.

Scott smiled back nervously as a blush spread over his face, and he suddenly looked flustered. “Oh, uh, thanks.”

“Only good things, I swear!” Cosima laughed, always amazed at Scott's inability to take compliments. “How was your weekend?”

“Pretty good. Just played D&D with Hell Wizard and the guys. Wanna get started? We’re already a little late.”

“Yeah, let’s do it!” Cosima nodded, adjusted her glasses, and they got to work.

Time passed quickly, both absorbed in their work, only taking a short lunch break. At the end of the day, Cosima said goodbye to Scott and headed home.

She entered her apartment and her black suitcase, still sitting where she had left it yesterday, caught her eye. She sighed, and moved to unpack it. Unpacking was her least favourite part of going away somewhere. It always meant the fun was over, and it was time to get back to reality _._

She moved quickly, chucking most of the clothes into the washing basket that she swore to herself she would deal to tomorrow, until the case was empty. Quickly changing out of her day clothes into a pair of olive green harem pants and an old t-shirt, Cosima grabbed her stash from her bedside cabinet drawer and rolled a joint.

Taking the first drag, she lay back across her bed and let her mind wander. She thought about all the things she needed to do, the alterations she needed to make in the lab tomorrow to account for some unexpected results in the samples today, and how much she was craving an Eskimo Pie. Eventually, her mind drifted to thoughts of Delphine. It lingered there, on the blonde, science-mad supermodel that had flitted into her life ever so briefly. The complete stranger who she had talked to for hours, sitting on her couch in a mostly empty living room. The doctor with her own research team, who had kissed her cheeks in that European way, and made her stomach flutter in a way she hadn’t felt in years.

Cosima sighed deeply. She knew that there was no reason to see Delphine again, and yet now it was all she could think about. She realised it would seem mad to go knocking on her door, but she had her phone number. Maybe she could just call? _“Don’t be stupid Cos. She’s, like, totally straight, totally out of your league, and you’ll look like a stalker. No, better to just leave it. A few more days and she’ll be completely out of your mind.”_

* * *

 

 

Except a few days passed, and Delphine was filling Cosimas’ thoughts more and more. She found herself doing double takes on the street whenever she caught a glimpse of blonde curls. She even wrote a few text messages out on her phone, her thumb hovering over send before deleting the message instead.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a Saturday morning, almost a week after Cosima’s encounter with Delphine. Cosima was heading home from the local farmer’s market, coffee in one hand, bag of fresh fruit and vegetables in the other. She had put on her favourite red coat to ward off the autumn chill in the air, and appreciated the coffee for the warmth that was seeping into her fingers through the cup, but at the same time cursing it for fogging up her glasses every time she went to take a sip. Just as a white curtain of steam condensed on her glasses, once again obscuring her vision, she heard a voice call her name.

“Cosima!”

She turned her head trying to locate where it had come from, dreads swinging wildly with the movement. The lenses of her glasses cleared as she heard her name again, closer this time.

“Cosima! Bonjour Cosima!”

Cosima finally saw her. Blonde curls slightly mussed by the breeze, cheeks and nose reddened in the cool air, Delphine was half-jogging to catch up with her.

“Delphine! Hey!” Cosima said, surprised. “You’re a little far from home aren’t you?”

Delphine giggled, and looked down, biting her lower lip. “I suppose you’re right. But I was running some errands the other day and someone told me I must visit this market. What are you doing here? Do you live nearby?”

Shocked to be seeing the subject of her daydreams in real life, Cosima took a second to gather herself before replying. “Uh, yeah. Just up the road actually. How are you settling in?”

“Really well. My team seem more than capable, and I have been provided with everything I could possibly need.”

“That’s great! I’m happy to hear it.”  
Delphine smiled and bit her bottom lip. The two women stood there looking at each other for a few seconds. Was it just Cosima, or was there a slight tension in the air?

_Say something!_ She thought to herself. She wanted to keep the conversation going, and find a reason to spend more time with the blonde, but her mind was empty.

“I guess you have things to do, I didn’t mean to hold you up,” said Delphine.

_Shit, here she is in front of you and you’re wasting your chance. I mean, even though she’s probably not into you, having her as a friend would make a nice change of pace from the guys at the lab._

Cosima decided to take a chance. After all, Delphine was the one who stopped _her_ in the street, right?

“No not at all. I have a pretty free day actually.” _Good work Cos. Keep it casual, but drop the hints you want to hang out._ “Do you have much planned for the rest of your day?”

Delphine bit her lip again.

_God, I wish she’d stop that._

“Non, I was planning to find a pâtisserie on the way home. I am missing the pastries we have back home.” Delphine had a slightly wistful look on her face.

“Well, there’s a cute wee place a couple of blocks away. Of course, I’ve never had your fancy Parisian pastries, but by America’s standards they’re pretty damn good. I could, uh, take you there if you like?”

“Oui, I would like that very much Cosima. As long as it’s no bother.”

“Not at all! I could go for a pastry myself actually.”

 

They set off in the direction of the bakery, walking side by side at an easy pace.

“You know, I’m glad I bumped into you.” Delphine said, tilting her head slightly to regard Cosima, their steps falling in time with one another.

“You are?” Cosima was really trying not to let herself get too hopeful, but Delphine was making it so hard _. Don’t screw this up Cos. Don’t scare her off._

“Yes. I really enjoyed our conversation the other day, and it’s hard to make friends in a new country.”

Cosima hadn’t thought of it that way. She was so busy trying not to come across as weird, that she hadn’t thought that perhaps she might be…welcome? That maybe they could both see the mix-up of their bags as an opportunity for a new friendship, rather than a passing encounter.

“But surely you have people at work? Your research team?” Cosima asked. Walking next to Delphine like this, she realised how much she had to lift her head to watch her face. _Holy watershed, she is so tall._

“Oui, they are nice people, but I find myself putting up barriers, you know? I am the team leader, I need to maintain a certain professional distance.”

“Aah, I see. You know I didn’t pick you for the boss bitch type.” Cosima smirked.

“I am no bitch, I am simply a woman who has worked hard to get to where I am, and I’m not going to compromise my position by trying to play nice with people. My team will be effective and productive.”

“Hey, only teasing!” laughed Cosima, with a large grin on her face, her tongue pressed on the back of her teeth and protruding slightly. “But I like your style. You stand up for yourself. It’s refreshing.” _And kind of a turn on._

Delphine made an exaggerated gasp, playfully patting Cosimas arm. “You are so cheeky!”

“Yeah, but you love it.” Cosima quipped back with a wink. She was emboldened by Delphine’s responses, her body language and light touches. “I had hoped I’d see you again too, actually. I even thought about texting you, but, like, that would have been weird. I mean, I am the crazy girl who basically stole your suitcase.”

“You forget I also stole your suitcase, Cosima.” Delphine said, quite matter-of-factly.

“True. We’re both crazy bag-snatchers!” They both laughed together, eyes crinkling at the corners and mouths open in wide grins. “Either way, you have to admit this is quite the coincidence.”

“A very happy coincidence.” Delphine affirmed.

They arrived outside the bakery, the smell of pies and pastries making Cosima’s stomach rumble. Cosima pushed the door open and the warmth and aromas of the bakery enveloped them as they entered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay! I've been away at a conference this past week so didn't get a chance to update. Please accept this chapter as an apology. And thank you for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> As always, any strange spelling is thanks to the British colonisers of our little island nation. Chur.

The bakery was brightly lit, and rather busy, although the small amount of floor space amongst the large racks of fresh bread meant it took relatively few people to make it feel crowded.

They made their way to the counter, where an array of treats was patiently waiting to be bought and devoured. Delphine gasped in delight at the sight of the pain au chocolat.

“It was always my favourite!” she beamed excitedly, as the girl behind the counter pulled one out of the display cabinet and into a bag.

Cosima was so caught up in watching the delight play across Delphines features that she didn’t realise it was her turn to order. The shop girl was standing there looking at Cosima, a pair of tongs at the ready, and now Delphine had turned to look at Cosima too.

Jolted back to reality, and blushing slightly, Cosima hastily decided on a selection of macarons, an almond croissant, and a small loaf of bread to go with the groceries she’d purchased at the market earlier.

While they were being bagged and boxed up, Cosima glanced back at Delphine, who was still looking at her, head tilted and smiling softly. She felt her slight blush turn into a furnace on her cheeks.

_Shit, she caught me staring!_...

But what was that look? She didn’t seem weirded out by it. And she hadn’t reacted at all to the fact that Cosima had just caught _her_ staring right back.

Cosima chided herself to stop overthinking, and with a deep breath and a smile of thanks to the girl serving them, she turned back to Delphine, purchases in hand.

“Shall we?”

“Oui!” Delphine said with a smile, and linked her arm with Cosima’s, which was still carrying her grocery bag.

They walked out, arm in arm into the chill air.

_“Okay, okay, she’s like voluntarily touching you. In public. It’s probably just another European thing though… right?”_

But even as Cosima thought it, she wondered just how much she could actually put down to being “just European things”. Perhaps she _wasn’t_ imagining things. She almost daren’t think about it. This brilliant French woman, who gave her butterflies and made her forget how to speak with a single look from her large, expressive eyes. Could she possibly feel the same way?

 

The temperature had dropped another couple of degrees, and Cosima shivered involuntarily at the sudden change from the ambient warmth of the bakery.

Delphine looked at her, concern written in the gentle crease of her forehead.

“Are you okay, Cosima? We should get somewhere warm. I think it’s going to rain soon.”

Cosima raised her eyes to the darkening sky, foreboding clouds lying low across the sky.

“Yeah you’re right, I should probably get home.” Cosima said. She paused, and then added “Do you wanna come? It’s not far, and I’ve got plenty of macarons here that I probably shouldn’t eat all by myself…”

Delphines curls bounced lightly as she nodded eagerly. “Oui, I would like to come and see where you live. And after pain au chocolat, macarons are my _second_ favourite dessert, so I couldn’t possibly pass up the offer.”

“Oh,” said Cosima, looking at the ground. “And here I was thinking my company would be all the temptation you’d need!” Looking up, she shot Delphine her best ‘injured puppy dog’ look.

Delphine looked down at her large brown eyes shining with a mischievous glint and laughed. “Oh, pauvre petit chiot. That is a given, so I didn’t feel the need to mention it.”

“Nice save”, Cosima replied, seeming satisfied with Delphines answer. She straightened up, and began striding purposefully off down the street.

“Well come on then,” she called back over her shoulder with a grin. “My company won’t be quite as great if we get caught in a thunderstorm!”

 

The two women walked close together, hands occasionally touching and sending Cosimas heart racing. The chill air seemed to drive them closer together out of a natural desire to share warmth. Halfway back to the apartment, the skies that had been threatening so far finally opened up. Rain began to land lightly on the faces of the two women, making it hard for Cosima to see out of her glasses, and making Delphines curls even wilder. They quickened their pace, leaning into each other for protection from the gusting wind and the rain that was becoming heavier and harder by the minute.

“Come on, we’re nearly there!” Cosima grabbed Delphines hand and broke into a half-jog down the last block. Delphine ran beside her, curls now straightening out and sticking to her forehead thanks to the weight of the water.

Cosima led them to the step of her apartment and dug into the pocket of her coat awkwardly, juggling the grocery bag as well, but not wanting to let go of Delphine’s hand to make it easier.

While Cosima worked on getting the door open, she felt the proximity of Delphine’s body, nearly pressed up against her as she tried to get as much shelter as possible from the small recess of the doorway. The door swung open and they stumbled inside, dripping from their hair and clothing.

“Oh, that’s much better!” Said Delphine, quickly shedding her coat and hanging it to dry on the row of hooks by the door.

“Yeah, tell me about it!” agreed Cosima, moving to put her groceries on the bench and then grabbing some towels from the hot water cupboard. “If I’d known we were gonna get soaked I’d have taken an umbrella or something. Look at us, we’re soaking wet! And now you’ve got nothing dry to wear.” She threw a towel across the room at Delphine, who caught it gracefully and began to wring her hair out. Cosima noticed she was shivering slightly, and seemed very pale.  
“Hey, you look freezing. Do you want to take a shower and warm up?” Cosima asked, concerned that Delphine might go hypothermic on her. She didn’t have any experimental data, but she felt pretty confident that hypothermia would be a total mood killer.

‘ _Unless she needed me to warm her up with my body heat…now that’s a hypothesis I wouldn’t mind testing’,_ Cosima thought to herself, before shutting down that particular train of thought. Probably better to focus on actually helping Delphine in practical ways right now.  
She led Delphine into the bathroom and started the shower, steam quickly rising in the air. Cosima left Delphine with another dry towel and some of her largest pants and an oversized tshirt she normally wore to bed.

“Sorry I don’t have anything nicer, it’s just that you’re so tall!” Cosima said apologetically.   
“It’s fine!” said Delphine, “you are so kind. It will be nice to put on dry clothes of any sort.”   
“Okay, well, just yell if you need anything.” Cosima said, backing out of the bathroom. “Oh, and if you hear the neighbours toilet flush, better get out from under the water or you’re gonna get burned!”

“Thanks for the tip,” Delphine giggled.

 

Cosima had already changed into dry clothes, and was unpacking her damp groceries when Delphine emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel, turban style, exposing a long neck dotted with freckles. Her collarbones were prominent under pale skin, exposed by the low scoop of the grey t-shirt she wore. The shirt was slightly short in the body, and Cosima swallowed hard and looked away when she caught a glimpse of Delphines toned stomach above the waistband of the green and black patterned pants. The pants billowed around her slender legs, but tapered in to an elasticated band that was supposed to sit at the ankle, but on Delphine was halfway up her shins.

“I know, I look ridiculous, but at least I’m warm,” said Delphine, in response to Cosimas amused expression. “Almost makes me wish I still had a suitcase full of my clothes here.” They laughed together, and Cosima felt a comfort and warmth she hadn’t felt with another person in…actually she couldn’t remember ever being so perfectly _content_ with someone so soon after meeting them.

_‘Holy watershed, I’ve got it bad’,_ she thought.

They opened their pastries from the bakery, and Cosima lifted the lid on the slightly soggy macaron box. Luckily, the macarons themselves had escaped the rain. They dove into their treats, Delphine moaning softly when she bit into her pain au chocolat.

“That good huh?” Cosima winked at her.

Delphine blushed slightly. “Nearly as good as maman’s. And trust me when I say that is high praise.”

Cosima turned away from where Delphine was sitting on the other side of the counter to fill the kettle. “I’d love to try one some time.” She said as she ran the water. “Cup of tea? Or I’ve got coffee if you’d pre-“ she turned back around and jumped slightly, water sloshing in the kettle. Delphine had moved around the counter and was now standing right in front of her. Up this close Cosima could smell her own soap, mingling with that smell that was so very Delphine. She smiled down at Cosima, and held up a piece of pastry.

“Well, considering maman is thousands of miles away, you can try some of this one. Like I said, it’s _nearly_ as good.”

Delphine brought the pastry up to offer it to Cosima. With a cheeky grin, Cosima turned her head and grabbed the pastry from Delphines delicate fingers with her mouth. Her eyes closing, head tilting back, she savoured the taste of the buttery pastry and rich chocolate. It was one of the best things she’d ever tasted.

When she opened her eyes, Delphine was still standing there, cheeks flushed, teeth nibbling on her lower lip. They locked eyes, and Cosima _felt it._ Delphine was here in front of her, and she was showing all the right signs. Her eyes dropped to the perfect pink curves of Delphine’s lips.

“I – uh…I’ll have a coffee please.” Delphine said, looking down at the kettle Cosima was still holding. Just like that, the moment had passed.

“Oh, right, sure thing. How do you take it?” Cosima was mentally kicking herself. She’d let the moment pass, but now she was sure. She wasn’t imagining it, or just letting wishful thinking turn innocent actions into something more. They had a connection that was powerful, and visceral and _real._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I'm sorry for making you wait so long! I have a new-found respect for fic writers who can update on a schedule, you are all the true heroes!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Fluff fluff fluff!!!   
> Please let me know if you liked it (or not, constructive criticism is good too)!
> 
> As always, strange spelling is because Queen Lizzie rules over us.

**Ch 5**

The rumble of the thunder seemed to envelop Cosimas apartment, following each bright flash of lightning that periodically set the world outside into a false daylight.

The two women inside paid it no attention. Having decided Delphine would be better to wait out the rain at Cosimas apartment, they had settled comfortably on Cosimas slightly worn, dark green couch, only moving to refill their drinks or get more macarons from the box.

Around an hour ago, they had progressed from coffee and tea to wine, and Cosima was beginning to feel the effects of her two large glasses. It was giving her a pleasant lightness, loosening her tongue and eliminating any residual self-consciousness she felt at being in Delphine’s presence.

Delphine seemed to be feeling the effects too. She was becoming very giggly, and there was a slight flush on her cheeks.

A ringing noise caused them both to pause, Cosima getting up from the couch and rushing to the counter to grab her phone.

“Oh, it’s Scott. I’ll just be a minute.” She said to Delphine with a smile, before heading to the bedroom to take the call.

 

“Hey Scott, what’s up?”

“Hey Cos. I was just looking at some of our notes from last week, and I think we need to revisit batch 324.” Cosima rolled her eyes. Scott was a good lab partner, but sometimes his enthusiasm for taking work home with him got a bit much. Cosima much preferred to keep lab life and home life as separate as possible.

“Scotty, you know it’s a Saturday night. Shouldn’t you be, like, on a date or something?”

She heard Scott’s nervous laugh down the phone, the one he always did when he didn’t know how to respond. Feeling a little bit bad for being so dismissive, Cosima continued “but hey, you can show me what you’re talking about bright and early Monday morning!”

“But if I could just explain now, I think we – “

“Sorry Scotty, just because you don’t have a date tonight doesn’t mean _I_ don’t have a date tonight. I promise we’ll look at it on Monday, kay?”

“Okay” Scott still sounded disappointed, but Cosima just wanted to go back to Delphine.

She hung up, and tossed the phone onto the bed.

 

“So you have a date tonight?” Delphines voice caused Cosima to start and whirl around to face the doorway. The blonde was leaning her long frame against the doorway, arms folded across her chest. “I’m sorry if I’m keeping you, I just realised the time and I should be going anyway, it’s getting late and – “

Cosima felt a tendril of panic work it’s way through the slight haze of the wine, and settle in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want Delphine to leave, and she didn’t want her to think she had a date with someone else, but how could she tell her she was talking about Delphine? It had just slipped out, she hadn’t expected Delphine to be right behind her!

“Oh, no, I – er – I don’t actually have a date. Well, just with you.”

Delphine raised her eyebrows.

“Not that I mean this is a date, it’s just uh, Scott wanted to talk about some of our samples and I was trying to get him off the phone. So, like, no other plans – I mean you don’t have to leave. Unless you want to. I just mean that if you don’t have to go, it’s like, still raining… and… yeah…” Cosima finished weakly.

Delphine was smiling that small smile that she seemed to reserve for when Cosima was nervous-talking.

“Do you want it to be?” Delphine asked.

Creases appeared on Cosima’s forehead as she frowned in confusion. “Do I want what to be what?”

Delphine unfolded her arms and took a step forward, into the bedroom. Her eyes were locked with Cosimas.

“Do you want this to be a date?”

Cosima felt her heart race.

_Did she really just say that? Am I dreaming?_

She was trying to discern any sign that Delphine might be joking, but she couldn’t. Her hazel eyes seemed to be searching Cosimas, genuinely awaiting her answer. Cosima felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff. She could back away, or she could jump, risk falling in the hope that she would fly.

“Yes.”

“Yes?” Delphine smiled, stepping forward again and reaching for Cosimas right hand with her left.

Cosima looked down at their hands, Delphine’s elegant fingers lightly playing with hers, then looked back up at Delphine’s face. She returned Delphine’s smile with one of her own.

“Yes.” She took a small step in towards Delphine, having to stretch her neck back a little to maintain eye contact due to the height difference. Her heart was beating so fast now that she wondered if it could keep it up much longer. Delphine was still staring at her, but her eyes were no longer locked on Cosimas. She could see them travelling over her face, feel Delphine’s gaze caressing her, before her eyes landed on her lips. Delphine’s tongue peeked out between her lips briefly, wetting them before she caught her bottom lip in her teeth. Cosima felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention at the action, mesmerised by Delphine’s lips she couldn’t hold back any more. She raised herself onto tip-toes and Delphine lowered her head slightly, meeting her half way in a soft, lingering kiss. They pressed their lips together tenderly, almost hesitantly, and Cosima felt Delphine’s other hand come up to gently graze her cheek and jaw.

Their lips parted, but Delphines hand lingered, cradling Cosima’s jaw.

“I have wanted to do that since the second I saw you leave in the cab after you brought my bag back” Delphine said softly, leaning her forehead down to press against Cosima’s.

Cosima felt a rush of warmth fill her entire being. She could hear herself internally screaming with joy that her feelings for Delphine were reciprocated, but all she could do on the outside was smile and clasp Delphine’s hand tighter.

“I haven’t connected with anyone the way I connected so immediately and so deeply with you that day. And when you left, I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again.”

“I – I…” Cosima was lost for words. These past couple of weeks she had practically been pining after Delphine, thinking any reciprocity was all in her head. But now, she had jumped off the cliff and her spirit was soaring, carried by the words coming out of Delphines perfect lips. The lips she had just kissed. The lips that had kissed her back.

“Same.”

_Same? Same?! She opens her heart to you and all you can say is "same"?_

Cosima internally berated herself for ruining the moment. But her berations were interrupted by Delphine tilting her chin up to kiss her again.

It was less hesitant this time, both women quickly losing themselves in the feel of each other, their lips moving over one anothers, their bodies pulled close, sharing space, sharing breath.

Cosima felt Delphines tongue seek entrance, and she welcomed it in, deepening their kiss further, pressing closer together, as if they were trying to become part of one another.

When they broke apart again, both slightly out of breath, Delphine hesitated.

“Wait, Cosima, I…” she started, hanging her head and releasing Cosimas hand from her own.

“What is it?” Cosima asked, worry written across her face, eyes searching Delphine for some sign of what was wrong.

“I’ve never…”

Cosima understood. “You’ve never been with a woman?”

Delphine nodded, gaze still aimed at her feet. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I really feel something with you and I want this to be special, but I feel like I’m going to screw it up.” Her voice was quavering, and Cosima worried she was going to burst into tears.

“Hey, hey” she said soothingly, ducking slightly and manoeuvering to catch Delphine’s gaze with her own. “We don’t have to do anything. I feel this too, I have since the moment we met, and I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing anything you’re not comfortable with. And if that means you want to geek out and drink coffee for a while, then that’s what we’ll do. Or if you wanna just rip my clothes off and have me on the sofa that’s cool too. I’ll follow your lead. Because Delphine, I like you. Like, _really_ like you. And I can’t even believe that you’re into me, but it seems that you are and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise that.”

Delphine laughed, and Cosima watched as the tension was visibly released from her shoulders.

“Thank you, Cosima.” The sound of her name rolling off Delphine’s tongue sent a shiver up Cosimas spine. Waiting for Delphine was going to be torture, but she knew it would be worth it for Delphine to feel safe and happy.

A particularly loud thunderclap echoed across the city. The lights flickered.

Cosima moved to the window and peered through the glass at the rain pouring down outside. “Well, I really don’t think this weather is going to let up any time soon. Do you want to stay here tonight?”

“Oui, I’d like that,” Delphine replied.

“If you like I can take the couch, leave the bed for you if you’re more comfortable with that.” Cosima offered.

“Non, I’d be more comfortable with you here with me.” Delphine replied

 

Not quite able to believe how the day had ended up this way, Cosima went through her nightly ritual in the bathroom after Delphine had finished brushing her teeth with the spare Cosima kept in the cupboard. She returned to her room to see Delphine lying in her bed, covers pulled up to her chest, curls splayed out on the pillow giving her the effect of a blonde halo. Like an angel. Her angel.

She pulled the covers back on her side, and climbed in, reaching over to turn off the light.

Delphine lay on her back, and turned her head to Cosima.

“Bonne nuit Cosima,” she whispered.

“Night Delphine,” Cosima replied. After a minute, she felt Delphine move closer, and gently lay a hand across her stomach, tentative, as if seeking permission.

Smiling, contented, and feeling on the edge of a dream, Cosima grabbed Delphine’s wrist and pulled her arm over her further while rolling onto her side and shuffling back until her body was pressed against Delphine’s. She felt Delphine readjust to accommodate her until they were spooning, Cosimas smaller body moulding perfectly to Delphines long torso, feeling completely enveloped by her arms.

Within minutes, the pair of them had fallen asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter as things get crazy at my parents place for Christmas.
> 
> Hope you're all enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing!
> 
> Aiming for the next chapter before 2017.
> 
> Merry Non-Denominational Holiday Greeting to you all!
> 
> (Any bad spelling is because of the the British v. American spelling thing, I swear)

Cosima awoke to the sound of birdsong interweaving with ambient noise of traffic on the street outside. She lay there with her eyes closed, holding onto that in-between state - not quite awake, still half-dreaming. She felt well rested, warm, safe. She almost felt like there was a pair of arms wrapping around her, holding her tight. She went to roll over, and found herself blocked from that simple movement by a body. Suddenly, Cosima came to her senses and remembered just what had happened last night.

_Delphine kissed me. And I kissed her back. And now she’s in my bed, and it wasn’t a dream!_

She carefully rolled herself over in Delphine’s arms, and watched as her serenely dozing face was disrupted by a slight crinkling of her nose, and her eyes fluttered open.

“Morning,” said Cosima quietly, bringing her hand up to gently push a blonde curl back from Delphines face.

“Good morning Cosima,” Delphine replied softly, nuzzling her head into the pillow and closing her eyes again.

They lay in each other’s embrace, the early morning sun coming in between the curtains projecting a beam of light across the bed.

Cosima could feel her heart racing again, unsure of what to say or do. She didn’t want to speak, for fear of fully waking Delphine, and her realising what had happened in the light of day, and running out the door. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened to Cosima, and this time meant a whole lot more to her than that chick from the bar.

So she lay there, studying Delphine’s face in close proximity. Without her glasses the details were soft, like looking through lightly frosted glass, but her beauty was undeniable. She thought she could stay in this moment for eternity.

 

Delphine stirred again, her eyes opening and locking on Cosima’s.

“How did you sleep?” Cosima asked

“I think that was the best sleep I have had since I arrived in America” Delphine replied, stretching out and yawning.

“Oh?” Cosima said with a cheeky grin. “Well I will take full credit for that then.”

“Mmm, I don’t know about that.” Delphine quipped playfully, raising a finger in dispute. “You know, it could simply be that your bed is much more comfortable than my own.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

“Perhaps…” Cosima played along. Then her eyes lit up, not to be outdone (even this early in the morning). “Maybe I’ll have to come and stay in your bed then. To test the hypothesis, of course. Purely scientific.” Her face was the picture of mock innocence.

“Oh, of course. If the subject sleeps well in her own bed _with_ the intervention, then we can be sure it was the intervention and not the altered environment causing the effect.”

“Oh, so I’m an intervention now, am I? Well, I’m, like, totally down to test this hypothesis whenever you are. But before you geek out on me too much, coffee?”

“Oui, thank you.”

 

Cosima got up and padded out to the kitchen in her bare feet, baggy t-shirt and running shorts she’d worn to bed. She didn’t normally go in for sleepwear of any kind, but had figured last night that getting into bed next to Delphine naked would probably be a step too far.

With a mug of coffee in each hand she returned to the bedroom to see Delphine sitting up in bed, tapping away at the screen of her phone. She looked up as Cosima entered.

“Merci Cosima!” she accepted the coffee and took a careful sip, before placing it on the nightstand next to the bed.

“So, do you have any plans today? We could, like, hang out again?”

“I am awfully sorry but I will have to leave soon. I have reports to review from last week, and an important presentation to prepare for. It’s not until next weekend, but I anticipate this week will be very busy in the lab and I don’t want to leave all the work to my team.”

Cosima’s smile faltered, as the doubts began to return, as if Delphine hadn’t just told her she wanted her and slept in her bed. It must have been obviously written across her face, because Delphine looked worried, and quickly added “But maybe we can get dinner this week?”

“Yeah, sounds great!” Cosima nodded enthusiastically.

 

Cosima retrieved Delphines clothes - now dry - while she finished her coffee. She was just putting the finishing touches on her trademark winged eyeliner when Delphine exited the bedroom fully dressed.

“Goodbye Cosima. I will be in touch about dinner.”

Cosima turned, replacing her glasses and settling them on her nose.

“Okay, yeah.” She walked over to where Delphine was rifling through her purse by the door, checking she had everything before she left.

“Hey,” she reached out and touched Delphines hand, stilling it. Their eyes met, and Cosima continued, “I really enjoyed yesterday, and last night. And I meant what I said. You set the pace, and I’ll follow your lead.”

“Thank you, Cosima.” Delphine said, and pulled Cosima in for a tender kiss good bye. Cosima could feel her body react to it instantly, wanting more and more of Delphine every second they occupied the same space. But she didn’t want to push her, and so simply smiled and said her goodbyes after Delphine pulled away and left her apartment, with a cheery wave over her shoulder.

Cosima closed her door, walked straight back to her bed, and flopped herself down with a dramatic sigh.

_She’s gonna be worth it._

* * *

 

 

“What’s got you so chirpy on a Monday morning?” Scott asked Cosima as she waltzed in 20 minutes late, dropping off her bag and quickly donning her lab coat.

“Just a totally hot date on Saturday night that went super well, and is going to be a totally hot dinner date this week. So, ya know, no biggie.” Cosima grinned her wide, cheeky smile, tongue peeking out from behind her teeth.

“Oh wow.” Scot started blushing at the thought of Cosima on a date. Cosima felt a little bad for him, it seemed that the thought of any woman who wasn’t a character in one of his games could turn him into a blubbering mess. He was kinda cute in his own nerdy way, but her really needed to work on his people skills. “I thought you were just saying that to blow me off. “

Cosima mocked indignation “Would I do that? I’m hurt you think so!”

“Sorry, I just assumed, it sounded like you didn’t want to talk about work…” He shrugged and trailed off.

“Nah you’re all good Scotty. You’re kind of right on both accounts. I _didn’t_ want to talk about work, but I also _did_ have a date. But I am sorry for being so short with you. Trust me, if you’d seen her, you’d know why.” She winked at him, and watched his face turn from pink to a deep crimson.

Deciding to let him off the hook, she moved to more comfortable territory. “So, what about these cell lines?”

The morning passed quickly as Cosima and Scott worked on their cultures, making careful progress notes and inputting data into the bank that was now nearly complete. Soon Cosima would be ready to process the raw data into graphs and tables, ready to publish in her thesis. When they finally broke for lunch, Cosima checked her phone and saw a message from Delphine.

 

**Bonjour Cosima, Delphine here. Would 7.30pm Wednesday work for you for dinner? I can’t wait to see you again. x**

 

Her heart raced and she couldn’t stop a silly grin from planting itself on her face. She re-read the last line again, mentally pinching herself.

 

**I can’t wait to see you again.**

 

 _With an x. Dude_.

Her life was like some crazy romance novel right now.

_Not that I’m complaining, it’s been as dry as a gravel road for far too long._

 

She typed out her reply and hit send.

 

**Hey Delphine! Yup 7.30 Wednesday sounds great. Did you have anywhere in mind?**

 

Putting her phone down she reached into her bag for the sandwich she had made in a hurry this morning. Before she got it halfway to her mouth, her screen lit up again, diverting her attention instantly.

 

**Well, I thought I’d let you pick, since I don’t really know what is good around here. Take me to your favourite place. I’ll pick you up.**

 

**Awesome! I’ll see you then.**

 

Her thumb hovered over send for a second, before she decided to bite the bullet and add a quick “ **xx** ”.

 

The reply was nearly instant, and simply read:

 

**Bon**

**xxx**

 

Cosima smirked to herself. She considered sending back 4 x’s, but decided to let Delphine win this one.

 

_Just this once._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Some fluffy dinner date action, as promised. I got somewhat carried away with this one, so it's a bit longer than usual. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think!
> 
> Usual disclaimer that our little islands use British spelling, I'm not just terrible at it.

Clothes covered the bed and half of the floor as Cosima tried on yet another dress. With her make-up complete, and dreadlocks piled into a twist on top of her head an hour ago, she had been confident this would be one event she wouldn’t be late for. But that was before she discovered a wine stain on her favourite dress, and had been forced to try on every outfit she owned to make sure she looked as good as possible. After all, this was the first time she would be seeing Delphine for an official, pre-planned date, and she wanted it to be perfect.

 

She shrugged out of one dress, and picked up the tight, maroon number from the ‘maybe’ pile she’d made on the bed. A knock at the door made her jump.

 

_Shit, she’s here!_

“Just a sec!”, she called out, scrambling to pull the dress on, and collect up most of the clothes and throw them into the wardrobe. Running through to the front door in stockinged feet, she took a second to breathe and compose herself before opening it.

It was a good thing she’d taken a breath, because when she laid eyes on Delphine she was completely unable to perform even that most basic task. She had let her curls go wild, and she had a bright red lip to add a pop of colour and contrast her sleek black cocktail dress, which dipped into a very low v between her breasts, accentuated her slim waist, and hugged her hips.

“Oh, I am early?” she asked, wide-eyed. “I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to rush you”

“No, totally not dude. I’m late, sorry.” Cosima said sheepishly. She added “but just for future reference? Kinda always late, so kinda always sorry!”

Delphine laughed.

“One second?” Cosima held up one finger before turning to hurry back to the bedroom to grab her bag and do one final check in the mirror.

“Okay, ready! Sorry to keep you waiting.” She apologised again as she walked over to where Delphine was waiting by the kitchen counter.

Delphine smirked at her. “Are you sure you aren’t forgetting something?”

“Uhhh, am I?” Cosima looked quickly through her purse, but saw everything she needed. Her hand moved to her face to check her glasses were present. With her head bent down over her bag she didn’t notice Delphine move round behind her. She jumped slightly at the feel of Delphines hands landing lightly on her hips.

She felt her taller frame lean closer, and Delphine said into her ear “It usually helps if you zip your dress up.”

Cosima felt the fabric of the dress sit more snugly against her flesh as Delphine slid the zipper up in one swift motion.

The proximity to Delphine made her stomach flutter, and goose bumps arise on her arms. Delphine may be inexperienced with women, but she knew how to have someone eating out of the palm of her hand.

Determined to retain some control, Cosima laughed it off and thanked Delphine, before suggesting they get going before they were so late their table was cancelled on them.

 

“Um, Cosima? Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Delphine asked when she realised the dive bar they were about to walk past was actually their destination.

“Sure I’m sure!” she shrugged. “You told me to take you to my favourite place, so here we are!”

“Are we not a little…overdressed?”

“Definitely not. C’mon, just give it a chance. I promise you the food will blow your mind.”

Delphine still seemed reluctant, but Cosima could be very persuasive. And after all she _had_ asked her to take her to her favourite place.

They walked into the bar, and Delphine saw that her initial judgement was slightly off. On the inside, the restaurant/bar was decorated in a juxtaposition of the styles of an old English pub mixed with Parisian city nightclub. Booth tables on the back wall and on one side of the room featured candles burning, and a few couples were sitting in these, eating and drinking merrily.

The right hand wall was covered in posters of obscure bands, old vinyls, and graffiti. For a bar, it was very clean, and didn’t have the usual smell of stale alcohol and urine. Stylistically, everything about it should have been wrong, but in a strange way it all worked together.

 

A blonde woman with a rockabilly vibe and cats-eye glasses made her way over to them.

“Hey Cos, how’s it going?”

“Great thanks, Bobby. Did you get my message?”

“Of course! I’ve got your favourite spot reserved for you if you’ll follow me.” She turned to lead them to their table, and caught Cosima’s eye behind Delphine’s back. “Wow!” she mouthed, clearly impressed by Cosima’s date. Cosima merely smiled smugly. She definitely didn’t need to be made aware of how lucky she was, she was already telling herself that every second she got to spend with Delphine.

Once they were seated, Cosima requested her usual, times two.

“No problem at all, that won’t be long. And to drink?”

“Wine?” Cosima asked Delphine.

“Oui,” she nodded in agreement. “A pinot noir please.”

“Bring the bottle.” Cosima added. Bobby hastened off behind the bar, and they were left alone.

 

“So how did you find this place? It’s not much to look at from the outside.”

“I’ve known Bobby since we were both in our first year of college. She decided college wasn’t her speed, and got into bartending. When she got the job here I started coming to hang out when I was sick of the library and my roomie. A lot of my academic success is due to having this table as my own personal study spot from Mondays through Thursdays. Friday and Saturday it’s much more of a typical bar crowd though.“

“So you’d spend those times at the library, or put up with your room mates?”

“No way!” Cosima laughed, shaking her head. “No, I would still come here, only without the books. There are some totally fascinating people who come here, regulars and people just passing by. In fact, I met my last girlfriend just over there.” She pointed to the corner of the bar on the far side of the room. “And through there,” she indicated to the corridor with the ‘toilet’ sign above it, “is where we broke up. Honestly, Bobby and this bar sometimes feel like one of the only constants in my life.”

 

Delphine was silent for a minute, considering Cosima’s words. She reached across the table and laid a hand on Cosima’s as she spoke.

“Funny isn’t it? How one chance encounter with someone can lead to a whole world of experience you never thought you’d have?”

Cosima looked across at Delphine. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about the bar any more?”

Delphine just smiled and gave Cosima’s hand a small squeeze. Cosima felt her heart squeeze in response. How was it that every touch was Delphine seemed to breathe more life into her, and stoke the fire of her need for her ever higher?

 

Bobby stopped by with a bottle of wine and two glasses, and Delphine removed her hand from Cosima’s to accept one of them. Cosima accepted the other, but her hand was still tingling where Delphine had touched. Now that she knew what it was to be close to Delphine, to kiss her and hold her, their bodies pressed together, even just through clothing, every touch made her desperate for more.

 

 _‘But she’s new to this, and you’re following her lead,’_ she reminded herself. She knew she’d do anything for Delphine, even if it physically pained her. _Even if I have to fly solo every night for the next 10 years. She’s worth it._

Bobby returned promptly holding two large plates, piled high with enormous burgers, french fries and a side salad.

“Enjoy!” she said cheerfully, and walked off.

“I hope you like burgers! These are the best I’ve ever had.” Cosima said with glee, as Delphine contemplated the insane amount of food sitting in front of her.

“They are so large!” Delphine said in awe.

“Yup! Totally don’t feel like you have to eat it all, I almost never do. Oh, and disclaimer, the patties are made of seeds and nuts, because I don’t do meat. But if that’s not your vibe I can totally send it back and get you, like, a steak or something.”

“Non, non. I am trusting in your judgment tonight, and if you say it’s the best, well then I simply must try it.”

“Cheers to that!” Cosima exclaimed, raising her glass to meet Delphines in a light _clink_ before they both sipped their wine. “Now, let’s eat! I’m famished.”

As Delphine reached for her cutlery, Cosima picked up the burger and took a large bite.

“Mmmm! Nothing like it!” she articulated with difficulty, due to the hunk of burger now filling her mouth. She saw Delphine with knife and fork in hand and waved her hand in front of her.

Swallowing her mouthful, she said “Nuh-uh! The only way to enjoy these is to eat them with your hands.”

“But Cosima, we are out in public!”

“Oh c’mon! If we both do it it’s not so bad. It’s all part of the experience.”

Delphine considered for a minute, then put her knife and fork down.

“D’accord!” she giggled, picking up the burger and struggling to keep it all together. She mimicked Cosima’s large bite, some sauce squeezing out the side and landing on her chin. She made a show of chewing thoughtfully, savouring the taste and drawing out the suspense for Cosima, who was eagerly awaiting her reaction.

She finished chewing, with a serious face, swallowed, and slowly lowered the burger to rest it back on the plate carefully.

“Well?” Cosima said, literally on the edge of her seat. It looked to her like Delphine didn’t like it, and she was trying to think of how to say so politely. Delphine leaned forward also, and said in a low voice “Cosima, I am so sorry. I feel so terrible for saying this, but…” she looked down at where she was fiddling with her napkin nervously.

Cosima groaned internally.

‘ _Great, my awesome date night backfired because she doesn’t do burgers or something. I should’ve just taken her to that fancy French place.’_

Then suddenly, she looked back up at Cosima, their faces now mere inches apart across the table. A massive grin grew across her face as she laughed, “That was absolutely the best burger I’ve ever tasted!”

The shock written across Cosima’s face made her laugh even harder, and Cosima couldn’t help but join in, until they were both in hysterics.

“Oh, I really had you going!” Delphine gasped between fits of laughter, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Cosima leaned across the table once again and beckoned Delphine forward to her.

“Ya know, you did have me going for a minute. But I still feel like I came out on top in this scenario.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“Because”, Cosima answered, as she reached over and wiped off the ketchup from Delphines chin, “I’m not the one with burger on my face.” It was Delphine’s turn to be shocked. Her hand shot to her face to wipe off any excess as she blushed slightly. But Cosima was laughing again, and soon they were both in hysterics once more.

 

Around 11pm they left the bar, with full bellies and sore cheeks from all the smiling and laughing they had done over the rest of the burgers and their bottle of wine.

They walked hand in hand back to where Delphine’s car was parked, and Delphine reached forward to open Cosima’s door for her.

“Ooh, thank you, m’lady.” Cosima turned back to face her in front of the open door, and Delphine closed the small distance between them. Angling her head up, she captured her lips in a soft kiss, her eyes fluttering closed. A warm glow spread through Cosima, from her lips, and where Delphine was holding her hand, right through her body.

She felt like she could stay here all night, and in all honesty if she was given the option she probably would have, but someone walked past and wolf-whistled, and Delphine broke the kiss of, looking around wildly and blushing furiously. She didn’t step away or let go of Cosima’s hand though.

“I suppose I should get you home. It is late after all.” Delphine said softly.

“Better let me get in the car then,” Cosima replied, with a pointed look at their still-clasped hands.

With a smile, Delphine released Cosima and moved around to the driver’s side.

 

When they pulled up outside Cosima’s apartment, Cosima unbuckled her belt and turned in her seat to say goodbye. Her body was still humming from their earlier kiss, and she felt pulled towards Delphine, as inevitable as the force of gravity.

They both leaned over the centre console simultaneously, their lips crashing together more forcefully this time. The angle was all wrong, made difficult by the constraints of the car, but that didn’t stop Cosima from bringing her hand up to wrap around the back of Delphine’s neck, raking her fingers through her thick blonde hair and pulling her in closer, ever closer. Their mouths opened to receive one another, and Cosima felt Delphine’s hands come up to rest on her cheeks. Cosima was becoming frustrated by the barrier between them, with every movement of Delphine’s lips and tongue over her own sending small sparks through her. Her stomach was doing back flips, and a familiar throbbing had settled itself in her crotch. One thing was for sure; Delphine was more intoxicating than any substance she’d ever tried.

“You’re welcome to stay over again. If you want to.” Cosima breathed heavily when they finally broke apart.

Delphine’s face was flushed, but she gave a small smile and a light shake of her head.

“I’m sorry Cosima. Not tonight. It is a work night, and I still have a big presentation to prepare for. But,” she grabbed Cosima’s chin and looked directly into her eyes “after this presentation is over, I promise you I will. I just need a little more time, and to clear my head of all of this other stress.”

“Sure, no pressure.” Cosima couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, but almost immediately forgot her disappointment when Delphine pulled her in for another, gentler kiss.

“Bye,” she whispered as she pulled away slowly, one finger gently trailing off her cheek.

“Bye.” Replied Cosima, as she smiled widely and clambered out of the car, her head spinning, partially from the state Delphine’s lips had left her in, and partially from the wine they’d consumed with dinner.

She waved from her doorway as Delphine pulled away and drove off down the street.

As she let herself back into her apartment, she couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest girl alive.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Massive apologies to everyone who has been waiting for an update on this! It's been a busy time of year, but I'm finally writing again! Please accept this chapter as a peace offering, and the next chapter should be up in the next couple of days.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!
> 
>  
> 
> *Usual disclaimer for British spelling, a side effect of having the union jack featured on our flag.

“Hey, are you gonna watch what you’re doing there or just watch your phone?” Scott’s tone was harsher than normal, but in fairness, this was the third time today he’d caught Cosima just before she made a mistake that could ruin a culture and put them back by a week on that particular cell line.

“Geez, sorry dude. I’m trying here.” Cosima grumbled. It was Friday afternoon and she’d been waiting for Delphine to text her all day.

They’d exchanged a few texts back and forth since their date, but Delphine was so busy with work that Cosima didn’t want to push it by annoying her with a constant stream of texts. Instead, she seemed to be annoying Scott by checking her phone every 30 seconds.

Scott sighed and looked at the clock. “Look, it’s nearly 4, why don’t you take off and I’ll finish up here.”

Cosima brightened at the prospect of finishing early. “Are you serious? Like, you really don’t mind?”

“Well, it’s not like you’ve been very focused today anyway, so yeah, go for it. But, I’d really appreciate a favour in return.”

“Anything!”

“I was planning on going to this lecture series at the DYAD tomorrow. Mostly to chat to some of the big wigs about job opportunities for once all this is over”, he gestured to the cultures they’d been working on. “But the lectures actually look interesting too. And I’d rather not go alone if I don’t have to.”

 

Cosima thought for a minute. Delphine had said she would be busy tomorrow, which is why they’d made plans for a lunch out on Sunday. And if the lectures actually were as interesting as Scott said, it would make the waiting until she could see Delphine again much more bearable.

_A bit of a distraction might be just what I need_ , she mused.

“Sure Scott. Text me the details and I’ll meet you there.”

Scott looked surprised, like he hadn’t at all expected Cosima to actually say yes.

“Oh, uh, cool! Yeah, I’ll do that. Cool.”

Cosima let him bumble about a bit while she quickly threw her things into her bag and headed for the door.

“See you tomorrow Scott! You’re the best!” she called over her shoulder as she let the door to the lab swing shut behind her.

 

Scott was already waiting outside the huge glass building when Cosima arrived. The last people were filing in through the foyer to the lecture theatre, and they found two empty seats right near the back.

“So what’s the theme of this series?” Cosima asked, while the first presenter was setting up.

“The Future Is Now.”

“Seriously?”, Cosima looked unimpressed. “They couldn’t have come up with a worse title if they tried.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty lame I guess. But the speakers are all top in their fields, there’s this one-“

Scott trailed off as the lights dimmed and Dr. Leekie stepped up to the lectern to welcome everyone. As he rambled on for the next five minutes about how special this event was going to be, Cosima started to regret her decision to come. She wanted to hear about the science, not watch some ego-show.

When he finally finished and introduced the first presenter, Cosima began to enjoy herself more. It was a young researcher, Shay Davydov, who had served in the military hospitals and now was using her stem cell research to make leaps towards developing fully functioning limbs for amputees.

Next up was a man, Dr. Donnie Hendrix. He was very obviously nervous, dropping cue cards and skipping presentation slides then not knowing how to go back. Once he got into the swing of it, he presented fascinating research on harnessing the electromagnetic senses sharks have, and how they might be able to transfer that to humans, creating an “extra sense”.

The following researchers were all just as interesting, but still Cosima found her concentration waning as the morning wore on. She checked her phone more and more frequently, wondering why Delphine hadn’t text her today.

_“She’s just busy, don’t worry. You’re seeing her tomorrow, remember?”_

But Cosima still couldn’t get rid of the gnawing doubt in the back of her mind. What they had still felt so precious and new, as though it could break in a second and Delphine would slip through her fingers like water, impossible to hold onto.

 

Scott nudged her, having noticed she was no longer listening.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked. “I would have thought you’d be in your element here”

Cosima smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I am. It’s just, I haven’t heard from Delphine all morning. It’s silly. Don’t worry.”

“Well there’s only one speaker left, then we can go and get an Eskimo pie if you like?”

Cosimas heart swelled. “Oh Scotty, you always know how to cheer a girl up. Deal.”

She stuck out her hand and Scott shook it. They settled back into their seats for the last lecture, Cosima determined to pay close attention to this one. Once again, Leekie was at the microphone doing introductions.

“… our best import. She has not been here long, but her team has already made significant progress with very promising results. It is my pleasure, nay, my _privilege_ to introduce to you Dr. Delphine Cormier.”

Cosima’s heart rate doubled in the space of a second.

_Holy shit. Dude. What? Oh my god!_

Delphine stood from where she had obviously been seated all morning in the front row, out of their eye line from the back row seats, and moved to the centre of the room with the lectern and the computer.

But she wasn’t Delphine as Cosima knew her. Cosima’s Delphine was all soft curls and warm smiles. But this Delphine had straightened her hair and donned a perfectly tailored black power suit. The set of her jaw told Cosima she was one hundred percent focused. She began to speak to the crowd, and seemed to hold everyone’s attention completely, speaking with command and authority.

Cosima felt her body begin to react. This was a side of Delphine she may not have seen, but she certainly didn’t mind it.

 

By the time Delphine finished, to the biggest round of applause and cheers of any of the presenters, Cosima realised she hadn’t taken in a single word. She’d been enraptured by her lilting French accent, the way her hips swayed in the suit as she paced along the front of the room, not needing to refer to cue cards or powerpoint slides, the complete control she exerted over the room with her intellect and grace.

Cosima quickly joined in with the applauding crowd, as Scott leaned over to say “Wow!”

“Yeah. Wow is right.” Cosima replied, not taking her eyes off Delphine for a second.

She watched as some of the crowd began to form a small cluster around her, all wanting to hear more about her research. The rest of the audience were filing out of the room, excitedly discussing with each other the amazing new science they’d been privy to.

Normally, Cosima would have been in amongst them, perhaps seeking out Shay Davydov to ask about the medium she grows her stem cells in, or Dr. Leekie to remind him of how wonderful it would be to work with him once her thesis is done. But today, her thoughts were full of Delphine.

 

“Well, I have to run, we’ve got a big game on this afternoon. You’re welcome to join if you like? The guys love it when you come along. I think it’s the only time they get to interact with a girl except when they go to Hell Wizard’s mums place for dinner,” Scott joked.

“No, it’s cool. I think my afternoon is about to be taken up with someone.” Her eyes behind her glasses were still trained on Delphine, as she spoke with authority to the thinning group of people. Most had asked their questions and moved away now, and Delphine was making moves to pack up her things.

Scott followed her gaze.

“Her? What about the other girl? The one you’re seeing again tomorrow?” Scott looked confused.

“That is her,” Cosima breathed.

“Oh. Wow. O-kayyy.” Realising that Cosima’s attention was lost to him now, he excused himself with a “See you in the lab.”

“Yeah, bye,” Cosima responded, distractedly. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she should have been nicer to Scott, but the rest of her mind was screaming at her to move and catch up with Delphine before she strode out of the building in those perfectly shiny black pumps that made her legs look like they went on forever.

 

Delphine started slightly and whirled around as Cosima reached out her had to lightly touch her on the elbow.

“Wha-?” She cut herself off abruptly as her eyes adjusted to look slightly downwards at the deep brown eyes smiling up at her through familiar glasses. Her features softened and her mouth formed a soft “o” shape as her brain caught up with what her eyes were seeing.

“Surprise!” Cosima half-laughed, with a massive grin plastered across her face.

“Cosima! What are you doing here? I told you I would be seeing you tomorrow, non?”

“Well yeah, but can you blame me for not being able to wait?”

“But I don’t understand. I didn’t even tell you I was giving this lecture.” A small frown line had appeared across the porcelain skin of Delphines forehead.

“Okay, full disclosure, I was trying to distract myself from the absolute torture of waiting to see you again and Scott suggested we come along. Total coincidence. Great presentation by the way. You totally wiped the floor with those other dudes. Well, dudes and chicks. You know what I mean.”

Delphine blushed lightly, a hint of the Delphine Cosima was accustomed to coming through. Juxtaposed with the straight hair and suit, Cosima was appreciating all the sides of Delphine she now knew, and wondered how much more there was to her. How many parts of Delphine she would get to explore as their relationship progressed and their connection deepened. She didn’t think Delphine would ever stop surprising her, and that only made her feel like she was edging up the steep slope of a roller-coaster, moving ever closer to the top, and once there, she could do nothing but fall completely over the other side for her.

“Thank you.” Delphine said humbly, with a small smile. “Not that you’d be biased at all.”

“Oh, what, _me?!_ Never!” They both laughed. The lecture theatre was now empty save for them, and their laughs echoed gently around the room that had been built to have great acoustics.

“I am very happy to see you, Cosima.” Delphine smiled warmly at her, reaching to hold her hand.

“You too, Dr. Cormier” Cosima purred. She leaned forwards and captured Delphines lips in a tender kiss, short and sweet.

 

Delphine drew her head back slightly, and Cosima thought she saw a flash of hunger in her eyes.

“Cosima?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d like to bring our date forward. To now. Would that be okay with you?”

“Cosima’s familiar toothy grin reappeared as she cocked her head to the side, one hand coming up to stroke her chin mockingly.

“Hmm, let me think. I’ll have to move some things around.”

“Cosima.” Delphine chided, trying to look disapproving but only succeeding in looking excessively adorable.

“…buuut I guess I can make it work!” Cosima straightened up, clapped her hands together and made to stride off, pausing with her hand outstretched towards Delphine, waiting for her to take it.

They made their way to the exit of the theatre together, Delphine doing an impressive job of keeping up with Cosima in her high stiletto heels.

 

“Where are we going?”, Delphine asked as Cosima paused to pull the door open.

“I thought we could go back to that little bakery and get a pain au chocolat to celebrate your presentation.” She felt resistance against her hand as Delphine stood her ground in the doorway. Cosima whirled back around to face Delphine, a questioning look on her face. “Unless you don’t want to?”

Delphine tugged at her hand, pulling Cosima closer in to her body, and leaned forwards to whisper in her ear “I just want to go back to your place.”

The words sent a shiver down Cosima’s spine and made her knees weak. “Yeah totally. That works too.”

 

They walked quickly through the now empty foyer with the glass walls towards the car park where Delphine’s car was waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: All aboard the smut train


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it turns out smut is actually kinda hard to write, so please don't judge me too harshly! This chapter is like 2000 words of pure smut (with a bit of fluff), so if that's not you thing I suggest giving this one a miss. If that is your thing, well I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
>  
> 
> Extra vowels and such are because my people were colonised by the British in the name of 'progress'. Sweet.

The whole ride back to her place they had filled the silence with idle chatter; about the presentations, Delphines research, the weather. But this was all surface. Delphines hand never left Cosimas, and the little circles she was making with her thumb were driving her mad, sending small electric shocks running up her arm to kick start her heart into a pounding rhythm. The effect Delphine could have on her from the smallest touch was astounding.  
Even so, Cosima kept reminding herself of her promise to let Delphine lead, so refrained from making her pull over so she could make out with her for, like, 7 hours straight.

 

They had barely got through the door before Delphine had spun Cosima around to bring their lips crashing together. Without thought, Cosimas arms moved to wrap around Delphine, one hand moving downwards, tugging their hips together while the other went up to make a gentle fist in thick, straight blonde locks.

“Do you want to, like, watch a movie or something?” Cosima panted when Delphine broke away for a second to catch her breath.

Her only answer was to move back in again, lips reattaching themselves to Cosimas with renewed vigour. Cosima felt her tongue seeking entrance, and she gladly parted her lips, letting her own tongue join the dance.

All of their kisses up til now had been the previews, tender and sweet, and not revealing that _this girl could_ _kiss._

Realising they were still standing in the doorway, Cosima pulled back for a second, hearing a slight whimper from the back of Delphines throat at the loss of contact.

Cosima looked at Delphines face and was once again awestruck by how incredible she was. Her pupils were dilated, lips full and reddened, cheeks flushed and hair slightly tousled. Only one thing was on Cosimas mind now, and Delphine had made it clear what she wanted.

“Bedroom?” Cosima asked between breaths.

Delphine nodded, and Cosima felt like she was floating as they crossed the short distance to the bedroom door. Once inside, they seemed to slow down. Their touches lost the urgency they had just had, and instead became more about slow exploring and discovery of each other.

Delphine cupped Cosimas face between her hands, running her thumbs along her lips as Cosimas fingers traced the lines of her arms from her wrists to the bend of her elbow, then up to the gentle slope of her shoulders. Delphines lips were parted slightly, a look of wonder on her face as she let her fingers lightly stroke down the sides of Cosimas neck and along her collarbones, to come to a slight pause high upon her chest.

Cosima sensed a slight hesitation, and glimpsed a momentary flash of uncertainty in Delphines eyes.

“Hey. It’s okay. You can touch me.” Cosima whispered softly, covering Delphines hands with her own and gently guiding them down her chest until they covered her breasts. She encouraged Delphine to caress her breasts with gentle pressure from her own hands, until she felt Delphine moving autonomously. The soft pressures from over her clothes were more stimulating than she ever could have imagined, and she could feel the familiar throbbing in her crotch growing stronger by the second.

Delphine slowly moved her hands back up Cosimas chest and neck to come together behind her head, fingers tangling with the fine hairs too short to be part of her locs yet, drawing her in until their foreheads touched, breath mingling.

“I want you,” she said softly, her bright hazel eyes closed. Before Cosima could reply that she wanted her too, Delphine continued.

“I want you, but I don’t know how.” Her voice wavered slightly, and Cosima was fully aware of how vulnerable Delphine was making herself. She tilted her chin upwards to ghost a kiss over her mouth.

“I’ll show you.”

 

Cosima lowered her hands to the hem of Delphines blouse and tugged at it gently until Delphine raised her arms to help her slide it off over her head. Then Cosima reached for the hem of her own top and made quick work of relieving herself of it.

Delphine kicked off her shiny black pumps, suddenly closing the height difference slightly, and their lips were drawn back together. It was like they were magnets, the force of attraction too strong for either of them to deny each other for more than short while.

Cosimas skin turned to goose bumps under the feather light touch of Delphines fingertips over the smooth skin of her abdomen, and her own hands traced a path down the creaky skin of Delphines torso to rest on the button of her trousers.

Cosima looked up at her, once again wordlessly seeking permission, wanting to give her every opportunity to back out while yearning with every fibre of her being to get closer.

A slight nod from Delphine and her fingers deftly popped the button, slowly drawing down the zipper, before gently pushing the fabric over the soft curve of her hips to let it pool on the floor at her feet.

Taking Delphines hands, Cosima guided Delphine away from her discarded clothes and over to the bed. Delphine climbed on and scooted up to rest her shoulders on the pillows, and Cosima removed her own pants before lightly clambering on and hovering her body over Delphines.

Planting her hands either side of her head, Cosima leaned down and kissed Delphine with increasing vigour. Her lips traced a path from Delphines own, along her jaw, and down the smooth, sensitive skin of her neck.

In this position she was so close that every panting breath was amplified, the thrum of blood in Delphines carotids reflecting her rapid heart beat, the soft moans that were being held back tickling Cosimas ears and rapidly increasing the wetness in her underwear.

She continued her journey, savouring every moment as her lips discovered new territory across Delphines collar bones, down her chest to the gentle swell of her breasts, still cupped in her simple black bra.

Cosimas tongue drew swirls along the bra line, her hands ever so lightly caressing Delphines sides, moving upwards before tugging a little on the band, once more seeking permission to go on.

Delphine moved to allow Cosimas arm to reach behind her, swiftly undoing the clasp and discarding the garment over the side of the bed. The sight of Delphines nipples, pink and round, already hardened by the events preceding, drew Cosimas mouth back in, and she sucked and swirled her tongue around first one, then the other, feeling the tension and nervousness leave Delphines body. She was reacting now with longer, louder moans, back arching slightly to encourage Cosimas ministrations.

Then Cosima felt hands on her shoulders, pushing her bra straps down her arms. She sat up for a second to help Delphine remove her own bra, brightly patterned with lacy trim, before it followed Delphines onto the floor.

Once again, Cosimas mouth was on Delphines, tongues dancing and bodies flush. Cosima manoeuvred herself until she could flex her hip, bringing the top of her thigh into direct contact with Delphines centre.  
She was rewarded with a strangled moan into her mouth as Delphines body responded without conscious thought.

She repeated the action, setting a gentle rhythm, feeling Delphines wetness begin to soak through her underwear onto her leg.

Every doubt she’d had about being good enough, or being truly wanted by Delphine was obliterated as she was lost in watching her reactions to each gentle thrust of her hips, feeling her desire so tangibly between her legs.

Cosima moved one hand from where it had been gently kneading one breast and teasing the nipple, down Delphines abdomen, and cupped her sex. Running one finger along the outside of her underwear she heard a new sound escape Delphines mouth, more a whimper than a moan.

“Delphine”, she said softly

“Oui?” Delphine replied, locking their gazes.

“I want you.”

Delphine covered Cosimas hand with her own and lifted it slightly, moving it upwards before guiding it under the band of her underwear, where Cosima could feel a small tangle of soft curls, and an incredible heat and wetness.

“Then take me,” Delphine said, almost a command. And who was Cosima to argue when the woman of her dreams was asking to be taken?

She quickly removed her underwear, then used her fingers to stroke up and down her folds, coating her fingers in wetness, feeling her own wetness grow by the second but for now completely focused on Delphines pleasure.

She used one finger to enter Delphine, causing them to groan simultaneously as she felt her envelop her in velvet warmth. Another finger quickly joined, and she set up a rhythm again, using her thigh to increase the pressure.

The flush had now spread from Delphines cheeks to her whole neck and chest, and her moans were becoming freer, hips beginning to pick up the rhythm, trying to draw Cosimas fingers further, and drive her to go faster.

Cosima could feel her hips losing rhythm, the walls of her vagina beginning to contract, her moans reaching a fever pitch as she curled her fingers slightly to stroke Delphines front wall from the inside, bringing her thumb up simultaneously to gently pressure her clit in small circles. She lowered her head to continue the dance of their lips, and felt Delphine peak and break around her.

Delphine let out a long, shuddering moan into Cosimas mouth, Cosimas fingers fingers felt like they were being clamped in a vice grip, Delphines hardened nipples pressing into Cosima as she arched her back, every muscle tense with the force of her orgasm.

Cosima slowed her fingers, gently kissing Delphine down from her high, the last flickers of her orgasm making their way through her body with the gentle pressure of Cosimas thumb on her Delphines clit.

Cosima withdrew her fingers and sucked them clean, her first taste of Delphine a heady mixture of salty, sweet, tangy, and so distinctly _her._

Shifting down Delphines long frame, Cosima let her head fall to rest on Delphines chest, her own desire still burning, but content for now to just bask in this moment.

“Cosima?” Delphine asked quietly, her breath returning to a normal speed.

“Yes?” Cosima responded, not moving her head from its place atop her chest.

“That was incredible.”

Cosima smiled. “Yeah, it was for me too.”

“But I…I didn’t do anything for you. Do you want -” Cosima could hear the nerves returning to her voice, feel her body tensing slightly, barely perceptible, beneath her. She knew what was coming next, and lifted her head so that Delphine could see in her eyes that she meant it when she said:

“Yes you did. You gave me your trust. You gave me you. That’s all I need. You don’t have to do anything.”

“Okay.” Delphine nodded. Cosima returned her head to its position on Delphines chest, the throbbing of her own center beginning to cede to the overwhelming drowsiness she felt. After a couple of minutes her eyes began to close of their own accord.

“Cosima?” Delphines French lilt touched her ears, seeming to come from miles away.

“Mmm?” Cosima responded sleepily, not opening her eyes.

“I – “, Delphine broke off for a second before continuing. “I’m so glad I met you.”

“Me too.” Cosima mumbled before they both fell asleep, bodies pressed together, limbs intertwined, and hearts full.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I am eternally sorry for making you all wait this long for an update, it only took a 10.5 hour bus trip to dubrovnik to get my a into g and start writing, and then another 2 weeks of writing on trains to finish the chapter.   
> I'm sorry for any formatting errors or typos, part of the fun of writing in Notes on my phone I guess!   
> Also, this chapter is entirely NSFW. Please accept it with my humblest apologies, and let me know what you think!

Cosima awoke with her head still resting on Delphine's chest, her strong, even heartbeat audible through her chest wall. She could feel Delphine's fingers lightly tracing abstract designs on her back. Shifting her weight slightly Cosima raised her head and looked up to see Delphine smiling softly at her.   
"Hey", murmured Cosima.  
"Hey", came the reply. Cosima moved up in the bed to place a gentle kiss on Delphines lips. "I'm glad you're awake."  
"Oh yeah, why's that?" Cosima smirked as she moved in for another kiss.  
"Because I really need to use the bathroom." Delphine grinned as she dodged Cosima and rolled away to clamber out of bed. Cosima watched her pad to the bathroom, unashamed in her nakedness. Her straightened hair was starting to curl up at the ends, brushing lightly at her shoulder blades, her back spotted with constellations of moles and freckles, the soft curve of her ass swaying slightly as her long legs carried her across the room and through the door to the bathroom.  
Rolling over, Cosima found her phone on the nightstand and checked the time. 7pm. Her stomach growled loudly, confirming that it was indeed evening, and reminding her that she hadn't had anything to eat since a hurried breakfast before the lecture series began that morning.   
She heard the flush of the toilet and running of the tap before Delphine reappeared in the doorway. Cosima knew she was staring but she couldn't help it. The woman in her doorway was a total goddess.   
" _Dude. Please don't let me wake up from this dream"_ she thought.

"Are you hungry cherie? I was too nervous to eat this morning, and after this afternoons, uh, activities, I could really do with some food." Delphine was moving back towards the bed, Cosimas eyes following her every move.   
When Cosima didn't answer right away, she laughed and grabbed Cosimas robe from the floor, wrapping herself in it.   
Cosima shook her head, jolting her brain back into action.   
"Right, yeah, food. Uh I was thinking we could just order pizza? Watch a movie? Unless you've got work to do or something, and then that's totally cool."   
"Non, cherie. My presentation is over, and any other work can wait until I am in the office on Monday. Pizza and a movie would be wonderful."  
"Great, I'll give them a call."

An hour later the two women were curled up on Cosimas couch, Delphines head nestled into the base of Cosimas neck, Cosimas arm draped across her shoulders. Cosima had thrown on her favourite green pants and a crop top, and Delphine had decided that the clothes she had borrowed on the day of the storm would be more comfortable than her formal clothes she'd been wearing for the presentation.   
Cosima couldn't help but marvel at how easy this all felt. How quickly they had fallen into a comfortable rhythm with each other, where silences were not awkward and this casual touching felt safe and normal. Even in her previous long term relationships Cosima couldn't quite remember ever feeling so at ease so quickly.   
A pizza box with one lone piece remaining lay forgotten on the coffee table, and Cosima was trying to concentrate on the movie. It was an action movie that had good reviews, but was so far following the same formula as every other action movie Cosima had watched.   
They were up to the part where the white male protagonist does the exact opposite of what any sane person would do, putting himself a life-threatening situation, when Cosima became aware that Delphine was also having trouble concentrating.   
" _Holy watershed_ ," she thought, as she realised that through all Delphines slight changes in position her hand had moved from resting on Cosimas knee to in her lap, and now her index finger was tracing small, soft circles on the inside of her left thigh.   
Her body was responding to these tiny touches, heart beginning to quicken and heat building just to the right of where Delphines perfect hands were working their delicate magic.   
She sat still, not sure how to react. She knew how her body wanted her to react, but she was thinking of Delphines nerves earlier, her uncertainty about how to proceed, and didn't want to push her.   
Any doubts about Delphines mindset were soon erased, when she felt her head lifted off her shoulder and lips begin to kiss along her collarbone.   
Delphines lips worked their way up Cosimas neck, while her fingers didn't stop their torturously gentle circles on her thigh. Cosima slid her feet off the couch, legs opening slightly as she let out an involuntary moan. She was getting worked up rapidly, still on edge from not finding her own release earlier that afternoon.

Delphine pulled away from Cosimas neck, locking their gazes and ceasing her teasing of Cosimas thigh. She stood briefly, turning around to straddle Cosimas legs, lowering herself to sit on her lap, arms looping round behind Cosimas neck.   
"Delphine?", Cosima questioned.  
"Yes, cherie?"  
"We don't have to. I mean, I want to, obvs, but don't feel like there's any obligation-"  
"Cosima, look at me. You promised to let me lead. This is me leading and telling you that this is what I want. So unless you'd rather finish the movie..."  
"Well, I am enjoying this masterpiece of film-making."   
"Brat", Delphine chuckled, swatting her shoulder playfully.   
"But I have a feeling I know how it ends anyway. Spoiler alert: he saves the day." She reached for the remote and turned off the tv, tossing it aside.   
"Good. Because I'm going to need you to guide me through this." Cosima could see hunger in those hazel eyes, but still an element of nervousness.   
"Kiss me."   
And suddenly Delphines lips were covering hers, kissing her passionately, breaking away briefly to change angles and coming in again with renewed fervour. She could feel Delphines arms tense around her shoulders, pulling her closer, one hand coming up to tangle in her dreads.   
And her body was moving, slowly grinding in time with the rhythm their lips were setting. Cosimas hands roamed over Delphines back, before settling on her hips as they moved against her.   
They remained like that, Delphines kisses increasing in intensity and her grinding doing more to frustrate Cosima than provide any real friction.   
Cosima pulled her head back and murmured "Bedroom" before Delphine had one again closed the small space between them.

Barely breaking the rhythm of their bodies, Delphine stood, pulling Cosima up with her, and they stumbled together around the couch towards the bedroom.   
Delphine backed Cosima up to the bed, and they fell together against the soft mattress. Delphines soft hands moved with purpose, pushing under Cosimas crop top to slide her hand inside until she was caressing her breast over her bra.   
Cosimas body responded immediately, she could feel her nipples tightening and her wetness between her legs growing by the second. With growing need to feel more of Delphine, she reached for the hem of Delphines shirt and made to pull it off.

  
Delphine sat back suddenly, her hands moving to cover Cosimas.  
"Uh-uh ma cherie. I'm leading." She said with a smirk.   
Cosima marvelled at her confidence, this woman who was asking for guidance while still somehow controlling the whole situation, leading a delicate dance for power through pleasure. She had no doubt that given time, Delphine would prove herself to be a total top.   
But any further thoughts were wiped from her mind when Delphine removed Cosimas top and immediately attached her mouth to her chest, pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses to the smooth flesh just above her bra.   
Cosima moaned at the sensation, unable to keep her cool any longer. Guidance? Delphine didn't seem to need any, she was getting Cosima more turned on than she'd ever been, every touch of her fingers, lips, tongue stoking the flame of Cosimas need higher and higher.   
Delphine quickly removed Cosimas pants and underwear, sliding them off over her legs, and they shifted together from the edge of the bed so that Cosimas head was resting on the pillows in the centre.

  
Delphine stilled her caresses of Cosimas body and asked "What next, cherie?".  
"Touch me". Cosima could hear the need in her own voice, low and husky.   
Planting another kiss on Cosimas lips, Delphine moved her right hand down Cosimas body until her fingers met the neatly trimmed, coarse black hairs covering Cosimas sex. Cosima felt her pause for a second, before those beautiful fingers spread her apart and ran over and between her labia.   
"Like this?" Delphine asked, stroking her again.  
Cosima could only nod in response, every fibre of her being focused on Delphines touch.   
"Inside," she panted, unable to wait any longer. Without hesitation, Delphine angled her wrist and gently slid a finger inside Cosima. The moan Cosima heard wasn't her own, and she opened her eyes to see Delphine with her own eyes closed, lower lip caught between her teeth, cheeks flushed.

  
"Delphine," Cosima said, to get her attention.  
Her eyes snapped open and locked on Cosimas. "Is this okay?" She asked as she began to slowly thrust her finger into Cosima, withdrawing, and thrusting again. "You feel incredible."   
"Mmm," came Cosimas reply. "But I need more."  
Delphine added her middle finger on the next thrust, filling Cosima more, making her throw her head back with a satisfied moan.

  
Delphine picked up the pace, using Cosimas moans as her guide now. Cosima felt like she was burning up under the blonde, skin flushed and slick with sweat, every motion inside her intensified by the open mouthed kisses Delphine was placing on her lips, cheeks, neck and chest.   
Feeling close to bursting, Cosima reached down and began to rub at her clit, knowing this was the fastest way to get the release she craved. Delphine noticed what she was doing, and moved her hand away to be replaced with her thumb.   
Her inexperience and slight lack of dexterity didn't matter, as Cosima looked into the eyes of the woman above her, warm and loving, and with one final thrust Cosima couldn't hold that eye contact any longer. Her eyes squeezed shut, a long moan escaping her throat, hips bucking into the blondes hand, as she came, the incredible waves of pleasure working their way from her centre out through her body.

  
Delphine withdrew her hand, covered in Cosimas wetness, and wiped it on the sheets before wrapping Cosimas small body in her arms and holding her close.   
"Was that okay?" Delphine asked, as Cosimas breathing slowly became more regular.   
"That was amazing. You're sure you've never done that before?" she teased.   
"I'm sure I would remember something like that, cherie."

 


End file.
